Strategic Alignment
Leaders must set a course of action – a strategy. But more than that, leaders need to mobilize and motivate the organization to successfully implement that strategy. Strategy without action is simply an intention to do something. Action without strategy results in confusion and inefficiency. And, as action is taken, leaders and organizations need to learn and adjust. Strategy should be iterative and dynamic, not static.
So, how do leaders know if the strategy is motivating the intended action and having the desired impact?
Our Solution
Denison Consulting provides leaders with the information they need to quickly and clearly see how and where to exert energy and influence.
Every organization and strategy is different – at different stages and with different objectives. Denison Consulting meets you where you are. We are here to support you through the four stages of Strategic Alignment:
- Creation of the strategy is the first step. A clear strategy articulates how the organization will position itself for success. This includes what it will focus on and, equally important, what it will not do. It defines the systems, structures, and required resources needed to execute against that strategy.
- Communication of the strategy requires cascading the plan throughout the various levels, functions, and locations of the organization. Employees need to know what is important and why it’s important. Clear and consistent messaging is essential in this stage.
- Clarification of the strategy is a critical and often overlooked step in the process. This is where dialogue about the strategy helps employees gain buy-in and make connections between their day-to-day work and the strategy of the organization (as opposed to simply asking for their ‘blind devotion’). The intent is to shift from understanding the strategy to commitment, ownership, and cooperation towards implementing the strategy.
- Reinforcement of the strategy is accomplished through decisions, actions, feedback loops, and course corrections. Linking the strategy to decisions made and actions taken moves the strategy from a set of intentions to something tangible.
Our Process
Denison begins the Strategic Alignment process by developing a deep and objective understanding of your business objectives and strategic direction.
- DiscoveryThrough interviews with leaders, our Senior Consultants are able to find potential gaps in strategic alignment at the top levels of your organization.
- PlanningYour Denison Team will work with you to define key milestones and objectives to ensure our partnership is strong and expectations are aligned.
- DiagnosisThe Denison Organizational Culture Survey allows us to assess the cultural elements needed to execute against a strategy (for example: customer understanding, capabilities, collaboration, change, and learning). By looking deeper across levels and into key business units/functions, we are able to pinpoint where and how energy, resources, and influence should be used to help drive change. By linking your culture data to your performance metrics, Denison’s Advanced Analytics can target the cultural areas that have the strongest links to the KPIs that matter most to you.
- Honest ConversationWith a clear picture of your strategic alignment and culture today, our Senior Consultants will help create a common understanding of the cultural attributes supporting or impeding the execution of your strategy.
- Action PlanningFrom there, we can help your organization plan and implement actions that will reinforce your strengths and address your gaps.
- ImplementationTo help your leaders understand their impact on Strategic Alignment, the Denison Leadership 360 provides individual leaders with specific feedback regarding the extent to which their team believes they are creating, communicating, clarifying and reinforcing a coherent strategy.
- Sustainable ImprovementFeedback loops and tracking mechanisms will help you ensure your actions are having the desired impact. Our Waggl pulse solution allows you to check-in with your workforce on progress and crowdsource ideas for improvement.
